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Archive for August 1st, 2013

The internet can be a double edged sword. It can provide a way to communicate, shop, and search for almost anything but it can also be a source of evil. There are so many internet scams, that we’re not sure which services are legit. Here’s something that I would never consider. The following story was posted on the AARP Bulletin.

Carrie Goss was thinking with her heart when she placed an ad on Craigslist seeking a purebred Doberman puppy for her truck driver husband. “I wanted to surprise him for Father’s Day,” she says. “He just got a promotion to be a classroom instructor for other drivers, so now he’s home and able to have a dog.”

Scammers sell nonexistent puppies online for a string of requests for more money. — Getty Images

A response came almost immediately, with photos, offering a weeks-old female for only $125 — a fraction of the thousands often charged by breeders. The pictures tugged at Goss’ heart and so did the sender’s own story.

Goss’ newfound friend said she was with the United Nations, working in Kenya to fight a malaria outbreak, and had to get the puppy out of that country within two weeks. “She seemed so caring, so sincere,” Goss recalls, “asking me all kinds of questions to ensure we would provide a good home for the puppy.”

But after paying that $125 by wire transfer, there came a string of requests for additional money — for insurance, for permits, for shipping and boarding costs. She dutifully sent the money, nearly $1,600, before realizing that there was no puppy for sale. She’d been had.

Another reason never to consider buying a dog online is that many beloved dogs are stolen from their owners and placed online for sale. Our pets are our family and it makes me sick to think of the awful fate many of our beloved pets must endure!